MRAM is coming to kill DRAM: 10 times faster, 10 times the capacity and it uses one-third the power

DRAM memory is getting greater in all devices, with some mobiles now packing a huge 3GB on board. That means faster, more stable processing. Now that 64-bit chips like the iPhone 5S A7 processor are here that capacity is going to go even further with up to 8GB of RAM. But RAM is still limited by how it works. That’s why it’s being re-invented.

MRAM, or magnetoresistive random access memory, is being developed by 20 Japanese and US chip-related companies who are teaming up on a mission to master the memory format.

MRAM stores data magnetically, rather than with electric charge like DRAM. This means massive power saving where a third of current energy used can manage ten times the speed and ten times the capacity.

While plans for release of this new memory are set for as far away as 2018, it’s already in existence. Everspin Technologies has developed MRAM and also owns 600 active patents. This could make it tough for competitors to create their own version but with so many companies involved it’s still a reality.

There is a lot of talk about amazing memory developments, super batteries and hyper-threading chips yet nothing has come to market. While we’re excited about the future we remember what happened to the Atari Jaguar which jumped forward in the hardware market too soon and failed as a result. Here’s hoping we’re now ready to start moving forward faster..